Do you enjoy the release of endorphins following a run? Do you feel the stress fade away? These feelings have been well known for some time but a recent study has found a direct link between brain growth and running. That’s right; it might even be making you more intelligent.
An experiment on mice has found that running on a treadmill leads to neurogenesis, which is the process where new neurons are generated by the neural stem cells. They also found that running led to neural repair in the mice. Essentially, if you’re partial to a run or an aerobic workout in the gym, the findings indicate that it may not just be beneficial to your physical health but it might also be beneficial to your intelligence and brain health.
The mice in the experiment were abnormal and had brain defects in the cerebellum, which is that part of the brain that’s associated with physical activity. The brain defects were genetic and caused the mice problems with their movement.
The scientists took the mice and either placed them on a treadmill or gave them doses of VGF. In both situations, the researchers found that the mice’s movement improved and their previously short lifespans increased substantially.
VGF is a chemical that increases following aerobic exercise. The actual function of VGF is relatively unknown but the researchers found that VGF had a significant impact on their cognitive abilities.
Unfortunately, if you aren’t partial to exercise, you won’t be able to take VGF as the scientists administered it to the mice through a virus. So, it looks like running or hitting the gym might be the only solution if you’re looking to give your grey matter a boost.
